First-generation graduate Laurie Smith will receive a master’s in social work
Laurie Smith, the first to graduate in her family, will be paving the way across the stage this week to retrieve her master’s degree in social work from Utah State University.
After years of involvement at USU, Smith is sad to be done but excited for the future. As she reflected on her time as a student, she found it full of advocacy and service. She said what she will miss most about her time at the school is her cohort and the students she was able to work and interact with.
“They’ve been so amazing to be a part of and get to know,” Smith said. “I won’t be seeing them every week and networking as closely, but I think that we’ll still keep in touch.”
After graduating in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in psychology and a minor in human development and family studies, her choice to pursue a master’s degree in social work aligns with her desire to help others.
According to usu.edu, the master of social work program emphasizes the importance of human relationships, honoring people’s worth and dignity and practicing these values with competence. Currently the admissions officer for the School of Graduate Studies, Smith is looking for a job more aligned with social work once she graduates.
Originally from West Palm Beach, Florida, Smith hopes to continue living and working in Logan.
“[I’m] just doing a lot of interviews right now and waiting,” Smith said. “The majority of the interviews I’ve been doing are here at Utah State, which has been nice.”
Smith has participated in many different parts of Aggie life throughout her time at USU. These include organizing the most recent Grad Gala as the grad life director on the Graduate Student Council and getting voted as Miss People’s Choice in the 2019 Miss USU.
“The Miss USU pageant in my undergrad — that was probably the coolest experience I’ve ever had,” Smith said. “Just being out there kind of out of my comfort zone and being able to do a talent was super fun.”
For her talent in the pageant, Smith teamed up with the Latin Dance Club, one student in which taught her a dance and performed it with her.
Another large part of her time at USU was filled with research. Passionate about aiding her community, Smith has participated in meaningful projects like the Tohi Lab. The lab focused on multicultural mental health.
As written on usu.edu, “Tohi is the Cherokee word for wellness, the ideal state of being, peace.”
While pursuing her undergrad, Smith worked as a research assistant for associate professor Melissa Tehee in the psychology department. Tehee is also the director of the American Indian Support Project, which addresses the shortage of Native American mental health professionals.
Smith aided Tehee in research for a paper titled “Perceptions of disabilities among Native Americans within the state of Utah” and another that is currently under review titled “Culturally-Based Conceptualization of Mental Health Needs of Indigenous North American Youth.”
In the first year of Smith’s master’s program, she opted to work with Tehee once again for an internship. According to Tehee, Smith did a lot of different things within her time as an intern, but she spoke about some of the ones that stood out the most to her.
“Providing social opportunities for Native students — getting an idea of what other grad students needed,” Tehee said. “But she also worked on some of the things related to the Indian Child Welfare Act, and it was going up before the Supreme Court.”
Despite all of her different projects and responsibilities, Smith was still a student through it all. Her favorite class she took at USU was HDFS 3700: Mental Health Advocacy and Awareness.
“It felt like a really good class for the general population to take. It talked about symptoms of mental illness, and it talked about ways that you can connect individuals to resources or respond to some of the concerns they have in a trauma-informed way,” Smith said.
Her enjoyment of this class aligns with much of what she did during higher education: connecting people to resources and advocacy. She also helped plan the National Multicultural Conference and Summit in Santa Fe, New Mexico, an event that brings people together to explore multiculturalism and social justice in mental health.
“I think her ability to talk with people and really understand where they’re coming from is going to take her really far,” Tehee said. “She’s worked with students in a variety of ways on campus over the years, and she can really see the big picture. USU would be really lucky if they keep her here.”
If Smith’s career does lead to her remaining at USU, she will be sure to continue enjoying her favorite coconut, almond and fudge ice cream: Aggie Joy.